An inmate with a lengthy criminal record escaped from the hospital minutes after appearing virtually before a Bronx judge Thursday morning, according to police and court records.
Police said suspect Jose Lopez, 37, a repeat offender, escaped from police custody in Mott Haven around 11:52 a.m. while being held at NYC Health Lincoln Hospital.
About 20 minutes earlier, he had been summoned from his hospital bed to face a string of charges for allegedly speeding and crashing his motorcycle while fleeing police in the Bronx on Aug. 29, according to police and records.
Officers attempted to pull him over at the time, but he fled, leading police on a hot pursuit.
When officers finally arrested him at Gerard Avenue and East 150th Street, he was in possession of drugs, according to the NYPD.
He was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, endangerment, obstruction of governmental administration, reckless driving, failure to yield to pedestrians, driver leaving the scene causing property damage and operating a vehicle on or across a sidewalk.
Records show Lopez pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday morning, and Bronx District Judge Daniel Lewis set bail at $1.
Police say Lopez has 16 prior arrests since 2008, including robbery, theft and drug-related offenses.
Police and police dog units swarmed the area around the hospital searching for him after his daring escape on Thursday morning.
Police said it was unclear how he escaped.
Photos released by the NYPD show Lopez, of University Heights, wearing a blue hospital uniform before fleeing on foot.
He is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.
Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
